| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells: and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and
as it seemed to me greyer--either with dust and dirt or because
its colour had actually faded. His face was ghastly pale; his
chin had a brown cut on it--a cut half healed; his expression
was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering. For a moment he
hesitated in the doorway, as if he had been dazzled by the light.
Then he came into the room. He walked with just such a limp as
I have seen in footsore tramps. We stared at him in silence,
expecting him to speak.
He said not a word, but came painfully to the table, and made
a motion towards the wine. The Editor filled a glass of
The Time Machine |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Gentle Grafter by O. Henry: scrape the mud off his boots.
"'Pardner,' says I, 'what has happened? This morning there was hectic
gaiety afoot; and now it seems more like one of them ruined cities of
Tyre and Siphon where the lone lizard crawls on the walls of the main
port-cullis.'
"'The whole town,' says the muddy man, 'is up in Sperry's wool
warehouse listening to your side-kicker make a speech. He is some
gravy on delivering himself of audible sounds relating to matters and
conclusions,' says the man.
"'Well, I hope he'll adjourn, sine qua non, pretty soon,' says I, 'for
trade languishes.'
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Lower the drawbridge," ordered the officer. "It is
Captain Krantzwort on a mission for the king."
The soldier approached, raising a lantern, which he had
brought from the sentry box, and inspected the captain's
face. He seemed ill at ease. In the light of the lantern, the
American saw that he was scarce more than a boy--doubt-
less a recruit. He saw the expression of fear and awe with
which he regarded the officer, and it occurred to him that
the effect of the king's presence upon him would be abso-
lutely overpowering. Still the soldier hesitated.
"My orders are very strict, sir," he said. "I am to let no
The Mad King |
